Internal-combustion rotary engine



H. 1. CARMODY. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-7, I918- -1,347,73 1 Patented' July 27, 1920.

.2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Mm MM A TTORNEI H. J. CARMODY. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

INVENTOR Ham/d] La 7771062] er- .M/da A M ATTORNEY 0 mm a J w of WW I 2 m w E j 4 7IHW H fi 3 4 w 3 l 4 m, CE W. 937 D M LJ 32 m 70% w 5 U M 3 D UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD T. CARMODY, OF BROOKLYN MANOR, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF ,TO JOSEPH A. FA UROT, OF NEW. YORK, N. Y.

rn'rnnnnn-oonnusrron ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 19 20.

Application filed August 7, 1918. Serial No. 248,691.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD J. CAnMonY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn Manor, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal- Combustion Rotary Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to internal combustion rotary engines of the kind commonly known as Gnome engines, in which the engine body is by successive explosions caused to rotate bodily upon a non-revoluble shaft.

In an engine of the type here contemplated the several engine cylinders are united to form a starlike member which turns like a wheel, each cylinder being carried bodily around the axis of rotation. By this arrangement each cylinder is cooled by its exposure to the air, the cooling being greatly facilitated by the speed of rotation.

In the use of such an engine as heretofore constructed, however, the cooling action of the air has not been uniform upon different portions of the cylinders. This is because the virtual air currents, caused by the motion of the cylinder through the air, blow unequally upon different portions of the cylinder. The part of the cylinder which takes the lead, like boat, is cooled more rapidly than the part at the rear, corresponding to the stern of a boat. Roughly stated, therefore, one half of each cylinder is hotter than the other half. This is objectionable for many reasons, one of which is that the cylinder bore ceases to be strictly circular in cross section, and becomes more or less ovoid, so that the pistons give trouble.

By my invention I seek to equalize the heat of the cylinder, so as to compensate for inequalities in the cooling of different portions thereof, as above set forth.

More particularly stated, I make the cylinder wall hollow, and house within the cylinder wall a revoluble sleeve which absorbs heat from the hot portions of the cyl inder and delivers the heat to the cooler portions thereof.

I also provide for adjustment of the revoluble sleeve in order to compensate for wear as between the sleeve and parts adjacent thereto.

the prow of a In addition, I seek-to improve generally the construction of the engine mechanism.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters indicate like parts in all of the-figures. Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, showing an engine made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a substantially central vertical section through the device.

Fig. 3 is an enlargedfragmentary section corresponding to the upper portion of Fig.

2, and showing details of the cylinder and parts immediately associated therewith.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the revoluble sleeve used as a heat equalizer.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a form of packing which may be used with the sleeve,

to render it gas tight.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the sleeve, provided with another form of packing.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section of one of the bevel gears used for actuating the revoluble sleeves.

A spider is shown at 8, and serves as a frame for the engine and as a means for mounting the same upon an aeroplane or other device with which the engine is to be provided. I

Mounted upon the spider 8 are the magneto 9,'the commutator 10, the oil pump 11 and the carburetor 12each of these four parts being inca'sed separately, in the usual or any desired manner, and provided with a gear pinion 13 whereby it is driven. Thus there are four of the pinions 13. 7

The spider 8 is provided centrally with a fixed shaft 14,'this shaft having a hole 15 extending axially through it, and thus being of tubular form for a portion of its length, as indicated in Fig. 2.

The fixed shaft 8 is provided with a stationary crank 14, carrying an annular bearing 15 turning freely upon it. Connected with the bearing 15 are a number of engine pitmen 16, each extending outwardly and at its outer end being connected with a piston 17 j The shaft 14 is provided with threaded portions 18, 19, disposed upon opposite sides of the crank 14. Mounted upon these threaded portions respectively are ball bearing cones 20, 21. Engaging these ball hearing cones are balls 22, 23, and engaging these balls are bearing sleeves 24, 25, the sleeve 24 carrying a ring 26 disposed internally thereof, and serving as a ball retainer.

The sleeve 24 is provided with an annular portion formed into a gear which engages theseveral pinions 13.

A casing 27 is provided with annular supporting members 28, 29, which are threaded internally and fitted upon the sleeves 24, 25. Thus the casing 27 turns bodily upon the shaft 14,.and is supported thereupon by ball bearings. H

, The casing-27 carries webs 28, 29 of sheet metal for the purpose of excluding dust and dirt, and otherwise protecting various parts.

The engine cylinders are shown at 30, and are each of the structure indicated more particularly in Fig. 3, and are provided with an outer shell 30, and an inner shell 30, separated therefrom by'a space 30, having nearly butnot quite a cylindrical form. The inner shell is provided with an annular flange 30 threaded externally, and the outer shell 30 is provided with an annular flange 3O threaded'internally to fit into the flange 30 The cylinder is provided with heat radiating rings 30 Between the shells 30 and 30 is a space 30 having nearly but not quite a cylindrical form, and revolubly disposed in this space is a. sleeve 31, having also a substantially cylindrical form. That is to say, the sleeve 31 gradually tapers from top to bottom in thickness, the space 3O having a corresponding form. r

The lower end of the sleeve 31 carries an annular gear 32, having its teeth slightly skewed as shown, in order to work without excess of lost motion. Mounted uponthe gear 32 isia ring 33, fashioned as a ball bearing member, and resting upon this member are balls 34. These balls also engage a. ring 35, which serves as another ball bearing member; The ring 35 is threaded externally, and screwed into a threaded socket 36 with which the casing is provided. Also screwed into this socket is an annular portion 37 of the shell 30 If it happens that under conditions of wear the sleeve 31 fits loosely between the shells 30 and 30*, or if for any other reason it needs adjustment, this adjustment can be accomplished by adjustment of the ring 35, and the cylinder as a whole may be readily adjusted by turning it relatively'to the easing, as may be understood from Fig. 3.

If desired, the sleeve may have the form shown at 34, in Fig. 4, in which it is provided with a packing ring 35 of the form shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5. In the event that such a packingis used, it is anchored against rotation relatively to the sleeve, and is provided with openings 36, each adapted to be brought into registry with the cylinder ports as the sleeve is ro tated within the cylinder.

If desired, the cylinder may have the form indicated at 38 in Fig. 6. Here the port 37 is encircled by each of three packings 39, 40, 41, .each of a general elliptical form. With this form of device the gases can not escape except by passing in succession each of the three packings. I provide a number of bevel gears 42, carried upon bolts 43, each bolt being threaded and screwed into the casing 27. Each bolt 43 carries a washer 44. "These washers-are so formed and. arranged as to engage the annular gears 32, and thus to support the revoluble sleeves within the cylinders, as maybe seenfrom Fig. 2. Y

The revoluble casing 27 carries a number of bolts 45, which may beused for securing a propeller upon the engine, or formountingin position .a wheel from which power may be transmitted.

The spiderS may be secured to the frame work of an aeroplane, if desired.

The explosive mixture is conveyed into the engine casing through .the passage 15,

or in other words through the hollow portion of the shaft 14. From. the engine casing it is conveyed by inlet pipes, one of which is shown at 45 in the lower portion of Fig. 2, to the outer end of the cylinder.

, The casing 27 is provided with lugs 47, 47 integral with it and extending inwardly as may be understood from Fig.2. A shaft 48 is journaled within these lugs, and carries a star wheel "49 secured rigidly upon the shaft.- A gear pinion 5.0 is also secured upon the shaft and revoluble therewith, this pinion engaging the adjacent annular gear 32, as may be noted from Fig. 1.

Mounted rigidly uponthe shaft 14 isa cam disk 51 carrying two cam threads 52, 53, each so situated as .to periodically engage and disengage the star wheel 49. The shape of *each cam thread 52, 53 is such thatwith the cam rotating steadily at a uniform rate of speed, the threads 'willeach' insuccession turn the star wheel quickly, by a distance representing one. tooth of the star wheel, the shaft48 and pinion50 being turned accordingly.

The engine casing, carrying the cylinders, is driven bodily around the shaft by explosions in the cylinders, the pistons acting upon the crank 14. V

' The revolution of the engine body causes the cam threads 52 and 53 to act upon the star wheel 49, so as to turn the shaft 48 upon its own axis as above described, and -thusto turnthe gear pinion 50. The rotation of the gear pinion 50 causes the adjacent annular gear 32 -to turn, and this annular gear :acts as a driver for the entire group of annular gears 32.

The outer end of each inlet pipe 45 ends in an inlet port 54 in the outer shell 30, this port being always in registry with an inlet port 55 in the inner shell 30".

At a short distance from the inlet port 54.- the outer shell 30 is provided with an exhaust port 56, and in registry with this exhaust port the inner shell is provided with an exhaust port 57.

As each sleeve rotates, each port 37 is first brought into and out of registry with the inlet ports 54, 55, and is then brought into and out of registry with the exhaust ports 56, 57. That is to say, as the sleeve rotates there is first an opening from the inlet pipe 45 through the ports 54, 37 and 55 into the cylinder; then this opening is closed; next there is an opening from the cylinder to the outer atmosphere, through the ports 56, 37 and 57; then this opening is closed. These steps are repeated for each of the ports 37, of which there are three.

The explosive mixture is fed outwardly through the inlet pipes d5, and thence inducted into the cylinders, where it is exploded in the usual manner.

The operation of my device is as follows:

The engine being mounted in position, explosive mixture is fed into the casing 27, through the aperture 15. From the casing the explosive mixture is inducted into the outer ends of the cylinders, as above described, the centrifugal force due to rotation of the engine body facilitating this process.

As the engine body turns, the several cylinders are each in succession subjected to the action of an explosion taking place within it, and in consequence of these explosions the cylinders areall heated.

Owing to the fact that the cylinders revolve bodily around through the comparatively cool air of the atmosphere, however, the distribution of the heat affecting the cylinders is different from what it might be otherwise. As each cylinder cleaves through the air, the cylinder is cooled more rapidly upon its forward surface than upon its rear surface. That is to say, considering the cylinder as consisting of a front half and a rear half, the front half shields the rear half from direct exposure to the cool air. Hence, there is an inherent tendency for each cylinder to heat unequally as between its front and rear surfaces.

The rotating sleeve carried by each cylinder, however, being made of metal and consequently being a good conductor of heat, acts as an equalizer for the heat. As the rear portion of the cylinder becomes hotter than the front portion thereof, the

rear portion of the sleeve is likewise rendered hotter than its front portion. Since, however, the sleeve is rotating, it absorbs heat from the rear portion of the cylinder and delivers this extra heat to the front portion of the cylinder.

The result is that the sleeve cools the rear portion of the cylinder and heats the front portion thereof, so as to approximately equalize the temperatures of the front and rear portions of the cylinder.

In the event of looseness between the sleeve and the cylinder walls inclosing it, due to wear of the parts, the sleeves may be adjusted as above described, the adjustment of each sleeve being independent of the others.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction described, as variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In an internal combustion rotary engine the combination of a shaft, an engine body revolubly mounted thereupon and provided with a number of cylinders disposed radially and adapted to turn end ever end as said engine body rotates, each cylinder having a wall provided with a compartment, a sleeve carried by each cylinder and located within the compartment thereof, an annular gear connected to each sleeve in order to turn the same, pinions disposed between the annular gears and engaging the same, and mechanism controllable by rotation of said engine body for turning one of said annular gears.

2. In an internal combustion rotary engine the combination of an engine body provided with cylinders and mounted to turn bodily on an axis, a sleeve carried by each cylinder and revoluble relatively thereto for equalizing the heat in different portions thereof, a separate gear for each sleeve, a number of separate pinions journaled upon said engine body and engaging said gears, so that the turning of one gear will actuate all of said gears and said pinions, and supporting members journaled upon said engine body and engaging said gear member in order to support said gear members.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a revoluble engine casing, cylinders mounted thereupon and revoluble bodily therewith, sleeves carried by said cylinders and revoluble relatively thereto in order to equalize the heat of different portions of each cylinder, gears mounted upon said sleeves for the purpose of actuating the same, said gears being spaced apart, pinions engaging said gears, pins carried by said casing and supporting said pinions, and washers carried by said pins and supporting said sleeves.

HAROLD J. CARMODY. 

